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MALE-FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS CULTURES... Cognitive consistency versus context contingency As for cognitive consistency versus context contingency, Mary/Yu-Rhee’s interaction with Mr. Allen/Will demonstrates how she acquires cognitive consistency in her love life. At the beginning of her relationship with Mr. Allen/ Will, context contingency dominates in her behavior, for which I will provide two examples. One example is her comment on his writing: “His last story — one [d proofread and told him was brilliant even if it wasn’t [...] — had been trashed during a creative-writing workshop.”** Contrary to Mr. Allen’s girlfriend, Yuki, Mary/Yu-Rhee encourages him to engage in the activity, which he believes enables his self-realization in spite of the fact that she is conscious of the inferior quality of a recent piece he has produced. In her effort to encourage him, she conceals her real opinion of his writing from him. Also, when Mary/Yu-Rhee is travelling with Mr. Allen/Will, she overhears the waitresses at the roadside restaurant asking: “Why’s a handsome guy like him wasting his time with a skinny little Oriental?”** Even though she is greatly hurt, she keeps quiet about what has happened: “I couldn’t shake the comments the waitresses had made. I’d snatched back the tip Will had left though I’d done it behind his back.”?‘ She does not want Will to feel uncomfortable so she decides to settle the issue on her own. However, astheir relationship advances, the Western influence manifesting in cognitive consistent behavior becomes observable in Mary/Yu-Rhee. A revealing incident is when she decides to break up with him: “Cut your own damn cake,’ I blurted out. [...] ‘Did it ever dawn on you that I have problems of my own?””?” Furthermore, after this incident, Mary/Yu-Rhee becomes aware of the change in her: “My initial shock was replaced with disappointment, and a realization. [...] The old me would have said I was sorry, because that was my default response to everything, but now, as I stood in the doorway, what came to me was a sweet relief.”** 34 Tbid., 158. 35 Ibid., 186. 36 Ibid., 187. 37 Ibid., 251. 38 Ibid., 253.
